NOTES

Correlation between standard penetration test values and overburden pressure for
desert sands
NABILF. ISMAEL
University, P. 0. Bos 5969, Sclfit, Kicrvnit
Civil Erzgirzeerirzg Department, K~c~ciir
AND
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A. M. JERAGH,0 . A. KHALIDI,A N D M. A. MOLLAH

Government Luborntories nrzd Testirzg Station, Ministry of' P~lOlic Works, Kulcxiit
Received November 20, 1987
Accepted March 17, 1988

The influence of the effective overburden pressure on the standard penetration test (SPT) values in calcareous desert sands is
examined by field tests. A simple field testing procedure is proposed and en~ployedin Kuwait at five sites having different
relative densities for the surface soils. The correction factors for the SPT are determined from test results and compared with
the most reliable correlations for clean silica sand.
Key words: field tests, plate bearing tests, overburden pressure, standard penetration test, correction factors, relative
density, calcareous soils, shear strength, compressibility.

L'influence de la pression effective des terres sus-jacentes sur les valeurs de SPT (essais de pCnCtration standard) dans les
sables de calcaire du desert est examinte au moyen d'essais en place. Une procidure simple d'essais en place est proposCe e t a
For personal use only.

CtC utilisCe au Kuwait sur cinq sites ayant diffkrentes densitCs relatives dans les sols de surface. Les facteurs de correction pour
le SPT sont dCterminCs en partant des rksultats d'essais et sont comparCs avec les corr6lations les plus fiables pour les sables
IavCs de silice.
Mots elks : essais en place, essais de plaque, pression des terres sus-jacentes, essai de pCnCtration standard, facteurs de
correction, densit6 relative, sols de calcaire, rksistance au cisaillement, compressibilitC.
[Traduit par la revue]

Can. Gcotcch. 1. 25. 590-593 (1988)

Introduction
The correction of standard penetration test (SPT) results to
account for the effect of overburden pressure has become an
important step for the proper calculation of settlement on sand
and liquefaction potential. Since the work of Gibbs and Holtz
(1957), several formulae and charts for making the correction
have been published. Liao and Whitman (1986) have reviewed
the published correction factors and proposed a simple formula
for calculating the overburden correction factor based on labo-
ratory-controlled and field test data. They indicated that the
experimental data available are mainly for clean silica sand,
and recommended further research for other soil deposits.
This note introduces a simple field testing procedure adopted
for the determination of the influence of effective overburden
pressure on SPT N values for calcareous fine desert sands. The
procedure was employed at five sites in Kuwait having differ-
ent relative densities for the surface deposits. Test results are
presented and the correction factor is compared with the most
reliable correlations for clean fine sands.
Soil conditions
The five sites selected for testing were all located in the city
of Kuwait in flat open areas. The soil conditions are described
in several recent publications (Ismael 1985; Ismael et al. 1986,
1987). Briefly, the soil profile consists of an upper layer of
compact, relatively dry fine nonplastic calcareous windblown
Pnntcd in Cnnad;~I Imprirnc: au Canada
dune sand with little silt. This is underlain by a more compe-
tent marine-deposited, slightly plastic cemented calcareous
silty sand known locally as gatch. Figure 1 shows the soil pro-
files at the test sites. AS shown, the SPT increases gradually
with depth from loose or medium dense at the surface to dense
or very dense at a depth of 6-7 m. Prior to field testing a thin
layer of 0.5 m was removed to ensure that testing is carried out
on clean natural ground. The physical properties of samples
recovered at the test level of 0.5 m are summarized in Table 1.
The relative density varied from 19% for site 1 to 85% for
site 5. However, the surface soils are remarkably uniform,
being classified as SP - SM according to the Unified Soil
Classification System.
Program and procedure of field testing
At each site SPT tests were carried out directly on the ground
surface at applied overburden pressures of 0 , 50, 100, 150,
200, and 280 kPa. The tests were located along a straight line
at 10 m intervals and were repeated along a parallel line 10 m
apart. To carry out a test with overburden pressure a set of
three steel plates 0.76, 0.61, and 0.46 m in diameter were
placed in a pyramid fashion on the levelled ground surface as
shown in Fig. 2a. Each plate is 25.4 mm thick and has a
65 mm diameter hole in the centre. A 445 kN capacity hollow-
ram hydraulic jack with a 65 mm diameter centre hole was
placed on top of the plates. Reaction was provided by a simple
 NOTES 59 1

TABLE1. Physical properties and penetration test results

SPT values (blows/0.3 ni) at applied

overburden pressure (kPa):
Moisture content -ybulkv ?dry
-ymaxt yminf Relative density
Area, site No. w (kglm" (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) RD' (%) 0 50 100 150 200 280
Sulaibikhat, 9.8 1721 1567 1800 1520 19 3 z 4 : 6 7
site 1
Sulaibikhat, 3.3 1685 1631 1783 1574 30 8 10 12 15 22
site 2
Sulaibikhat, 2.5 1724 1682 l 800 1580 49.6 15 19 21 27 3 4 4 0
site 3
Yarmouk, 3.0 1772 1720 1795 1564 70 20 24 28 34 39 49
site 4
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Qurtuba, 2.8 1799 1750 1798 1520 85 25 31 37 39 48 58

site 5
'Average of three tests.
'As per ASTM D 2019 using the dry method for maximum density.
:Not measured.

Sulaibi k h a t Yarmouk Qurtuba

I I I
sitel site 2 site 3 site 4 site 5
For personal use only.

n Windblown Sand
Coarse Sand ( SP
: Brown Calcareous Dry F i n e S a n d with T r a c e s of silt
- SM )
B r o w n i s h Grey C a l c a r e o u s Silty F i n e to Medium C e m e n t e d S a n d
(SM- SC)
* S P T Value ( Blows/30 c m Unless Otherwise Indicated )
FIG. 1. Soil profiles at the test sites

loading frame consisting of two 4 m rigid channels welded
together back-to-back leaving a clearance of 70 mm. Two
ground anchors were implanted until refusal using a CME
750-XL drill rig. The anchors were bolted to the loading frame
as shown in Fig. 26. The tests were carried out by first apply-
ing a selected overburden pressure to the soil by jacking. The
pressure was read by a calibrated pressure gauge. The standard
51 mm diameter sampling spoon was lowered down through
the holes in the jack and plates. After the first 150 mm of pene-
tration considered as seating as per ASTM D-1586, the number
of blows for the following 300 mm of penetration was
recorded. The results were obtained using the standard donut-
type hammer with a rope and cathead system with two turns of
the rope. Although this corresponds to a reduced delivered
energy to the roads compared with the theoretical maximum
(Skempton 1986), it will not affect the correction factor desired
herein, which is a ratio between two measured SPT values.
Limiting the size of the area over which the pressure is
applied to 0.76 m was imposed by practical considerations.
Assuming that the stress decreases with depth below the center
of the plate according to elastic theory, the applied pressure
was increased by 5.4% to balance the loss over the first
150 mm seating. With this adjustment the average reduction in
pressure over the test zone, calculated as 8 % , was considered a
tolerable error. Had the plate size been increased to 1 m in
diameter, the average reduction of pressure within the test
 592 CAN. GEOTECH. J . VOL. 25, 1988
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FIG.2. (a) Setting up for a field test. (b) Test setup prior to SPT test with overburden pressure.

depth would have been limited to 4 % . Overburden

For personal use only.

Groundwater at the test sites was located well below the sig- Pressure
280 k Pa
nificant zone below the test plate. As shown in Fig. 1 the
highest groundwater was encountered at site 1 at 1.5 m below
the test level. In situ density and moisture content were deter-
mined in each test on both sides of the plate before applying
the surcharge as per ASTM D-2922 using Troxler Nuclear
apparatus model 341 1-B. A summary of the penetration test
results is given in Table 1.

Analysis of test results

The relationships between the SPT and relative density for
the applied pressures employed are plotted in Fig. 3. The curve
shown by the dotted line implied by the Terzaghi and Peck
(1948) chart is located between the curves corresponding to 0Q I
applied pressures of 100 and 200 Wa. It deviates towards the 20 40 60 80 100
200 kPa curve at large relative densities. The applied pressures
indicated in Fig. 3 and Table 1 do not include the first 150 mm Relative Density ( " l o )
of soil and the weight of the plate assembly. Both impose a FIG.3. Correlation between SPT, relative density, and effective
small pressure of 7 kPa, which was neglected in the analysis. overburden pressure from field tests on desert sands.
The preceding results indicate that the adoption of the
280 kPa effective overburden pressure by Tomlinson (1969)
for correcting the SPT values is not justified for calcareous [2] CN= (a, in kg/cm2 or ton/ft2)
sands. The use of an effective overburden pressure of 100 kPa
as a standard by Peck et al. (1974) is more appropriate. The which is a special case of the more general equation
correction factor CNis determined using the equation

where NI is the corrected SPT to an effective overburden pres-
sure 8, of 1 kg/cm2 (1 ton/ft2) and NSPTis the measured pene-
tration resistance.
Values of the correction factor at different overburden pres-
sures were calculated from test results as the ratio of the SPT at
the reference pressure of 1 kg/cm2 ( - 100 kPa) to the SPT at
the applied pressure in question. In Fig. 4 is shown a compari-
son between the field test results and the following formula by
Liao and Whitman (1986):
where K is a parameter to be obtained by fitting to test data.
Equation [2] fits closely most of the reliable and accurate
correlations for clean silica sand (e.g., Bazaraa 1967; Peck
et al. 1974; Seed 1979 based on the data from Marcuson and
Beiganousky 1977a, b; Jamiolkowski et al. 1985).
A close examination of Fig. 4 reveals that the field data for
calcareous sands coincide with the correlation given by [2] for
ir; r 100 Wa. For avbetween 0 and 100 kPa, the correlation
factor is smaller than the corresponding values for clean sands
 Correction F a c t o r C N
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For personal use only.
FIG.4. Comparison between the SPT correction factors for cal-
careous sand with the proposed formula for clean silica sand
(1 kg/cm2 = 100 kPa).
and increases almost linearly from 1 to 1.4 as 8, decreases
from 100 to 0 kPa at the ground surface.
A similar conclusion is reached when comparing test results
with the most recent correlation proposed by Skempton (1986)
for sandy soils. The correction factor CN proposed for fine
sands of medium relative density and for dense coarse sands is
given by [4] and [5] respectively:
Figure 5 shows a comparison between the present test data
on fine sands and [4]. It should be noted that the Skempton cor-
relation yields values for CNclose to those given by [2].
The smaller correction factor obtained herein at low overbur-
den pressure of 0- 100 kPa can be attributed to the increased
compressibility and the lower deformation modulus of calcar-
eous sands compared with normal silica sand (Poulos et al.
1982). The presence of 10-20% carbonates in the surface
deposits of desert sands (Ismael et al. 1986) in Kuwait and the
Arabian peninsula causes increased compressibility, which has
a significant effect in tests with little or no overburden pressure
(Ismael and Vesic 1981). Thus the increase in the SPT values
with overburden pressure is not as large as in silica sand up to a
certain point (a, = 100 P a ) as less interparticle friction is
mobilized. Beyond this point both sands show similar behav-
Correction Factor C N
FIG.5. Comparison between test results and Skempton correlation
for fine sands (1 kg/cm2 = 100 kPa).
iour. It should be noted that the present results are applicable to
calcareous sand of low carbonate content. Offshore deposits of
carbonate sands, having a large percentage of carbonates
(40-80%) usually, are more compressible and may behave in
a different manner.
Conclusions and recommendations
A simple field testing procedure is introduced for the deter-
mination of the influence of the effective overburden pressure
on the SPT values. Field testing was carried out at five sites in
Kuwait with different relative densities for the surface and
near-surface soils. Based on test results, the following conclu-
sions and recommendations are made:
1. The SPT overburden correction factors for calcareous
desert sands coincide with the recommended factors for clean
sands ( [2]) for 8, 2 100 kPa. For a, = 0 - 100 kPa, smaller
correction factors were found, increasing linearly from 1 for
8, = 100kPato 1.4foriiv = 0.
2. The smaller values of the correction factor at low over-
burden pressure are due to the increased compressibility of cal-
careous sands compared with clean silica sand.
3. The present tests on calcareous desert windblown sands
indicate that an appropriate value of the effective overburden
pressure employed as a standard for correction is 100 @a.
4. It is recommended to carry out the field testing procedure
presented herein with increasing frequency at other-sites where
granular deposits exist. This is to determine the influence of
the effective overburden pressure on the SPT values and the
 594 CAN. GEOTECH. J . VOL. 25. 1988

necessarv correction factors. The late diameter should orefer-
ably be increased to 1 m if sufficient reaction can be provided.
BAZARAA, A. R. S. 1967. Use of the standard penetration test for esti- MARCUSON,
mating settlements of shallow foundations on sand. Ph.D. thesis,
University of Illinois, Urbana, Urbana, IL.
GIBBS,H. J., and HOLTZ,W. G. 1957. Research on determining the
density of sands by spoon penetration testing. Proceedings of the
4th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering, London, Vol. 1, pp. 35-39.
ISMAEL,N. F. 1985. Allowable pressure from loading tests on
Kuwaiti soils. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 22: 151 - 157.
ISMAEL, N. F., and VESIC,A. S. 1981. Compressibility and bearing
capacity. ASCE Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division,
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LIAO,S. S. C., and WHITMAN, R. V. 1986. Overburden correction
factors for SPT in sand. ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineer-
ing, 112: 373-377.
W. F., 111, and BIEGANOUSKY, W. A. 1977n. Laboratory
standard penetration tests on fine sands. ASCE Journal of the Geo-
technical Engineering Division, 103: 565 -588.
19776. SPT and relative density in coarse sands. ASCE Jour-
nal of Geotechnical Engineering, 103: 1295- 1039.
PECK,R. B., HANSON, W. E., MOL THORN BURN, T. H. 1974. Founda-
tion Engineering. 2nd ed. Wiley, New York, NY.
P o u ~ o s H.
, G., UESUGI,M., and YOUNG,G. S. 1982. Strength and
deformation properties of Bass Straight carbonate sands. Journal of
the Southeast Asian Society of Soil Engineering, 13: 189 -21 1.
SEED,H. B. 1979. Soil liquefaction and cyclic mobility evaluation for

107: 1677-1691. level ground during earthquakes. ASCE Journal of the Geotech-
ISMAEL, N. F., JERAGH, A. M., MOLLAH, M. A,, and AL-KHALIDI, nical Engineering Division, 105: 201 -255.
0 . 1986. A study of the properties of surface soils in Kuwait. Jour- SKEMFTON,A. W. 1986. Standard penetration test procedures and the
nal of the Southeast Asian Society of Soil Engineering, 17: 67-87. effects in sands of overburden pressure, relative density, particle
ISMAEL, N. F., AL-KHALIDI, O., and MOLLAH, M. A. 1987. Satura- size, ageing and overconsolidation. GCotechnique, 36: 425 -447.
tion effects on calcareous desert sands. Transportation Research TERZAGHI, K., and PECK,R. B. 1948. Soil mechanics in engineering
Record, No. 1089: 39-48. practice. 1st ed. Wiley, New York, NY.
JAMIOLKOWSKI, M., BALDI,G., BELLOT.I.I, R., GHIONNA, V., and TOMLINSON, M. J. 1969. Foundation design and construction. 2nd ed.
PASQUALINI, E. 1985. Penetration resistance and liquefaction of Pitman, London, England.
sands. Proceedings of the 1 lth International Conference on Soil
Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, San Francisco, Vol. 4,
pp. 1891-1896.
For personal use only.

Postsurcharge secondary compression equation for clays

EULALIO JUAREZ-BADILLO
Grncl~rateScllool of Etzgitzc>ering,Nc/tiotzcil Utliversity of MMico, Tqntlco 32, Coyo~iccitl,04030-Mhico. D.F., Metico
Received June 30, 1987
Accepted January 20, 1988

A general time - volunie change equation for soils is used to describe the initial swelling and further secondary compression
of clay samples when surcharges are used. The procedure is illustrated by a practical application to MCxico City clay.
Key ~vordS:clay, secondary compression, secondary consolidation, postsurcharge, time-dcpcndent compression. constitutive
equations.

Une Cquation gintralc temps - changenient de volume pour les sols est utilisdc pour ddcrirc le gonflenient initial et la
compression secondaire subsdquente d'Cchantillons d'argilc lorsque des surcharges sont appliqudes. La procCdure est illustrdc
par une application pratique sur I'argile de la ville de MCxico.
Mots cl6s : argile, compression secondaire, consolidation secondaire, postsurcharge, compression en fonction du temps,
Cquations de coniporternent.
[Traduit par la revue]
Can. Gcotcch. J . 25, 593-599 (1988)

Introduction
where AV = volume change at time t , (AV)T = total v o l u n ~ e
A general time - volume change equation for soils (JuArez- change at r = co, r* = characteristic time for which U = 0.5,
Badillo 1985a) describes the secondary behaviour of saturated and 6 = coefficient of volume viscosity.
plastic soils. The equation assumes the existence of a limiting Equation [ I ] in terms of void ratios may be written a s
compression curve at r = co. The rate at which the change in
volume takes place is found applying a general philosophical
principle that has also been applied to other physical phenom-
ena (Juarez-Badillo 19856). T h e equation reads
\ /
where Ae and (Ae)T are the void ratio changes at times t and 03
respectively.
Pnnted in Canada I Impnnlc' ;$u Gioada